A killer session from Horace's famous quintet that included Blue Mitchell, Junior Cook, Gene Taylor, and Louis Hayes – one of the group's earliest recordings for Blue Note – and also one of their best! The band had a unique mix of rootsy soul jazz playing and more exotic approaches to arranging, playing in a way that manages to bring jazz funk mind, even at this early of a point – along with more meditative compositions with incredible lyrical beauty. The album includes tracks that mix both of these styles – and titles include the title track, "Baghdad Blues", "Melancholy Mood", "Sister Sadie", "Break City", "St. Vitus Dance", and the lovely "Peace". Plus, this CD also includes an extra bonus cut – "How Did It Happen?" CD

A classic set from Horace Silver – one in which his quintet is expanded by some great guest work from trombonist JJ Johnson! Johnson's at the height of his 60s powers here – blowing with that lean, soulful style that always made any record sparkle – and although he's only on half of the tracks on the date, his presence is more than worth the heavy billing he gets on the cover! Other great members of the group include Woody Shaw on trumpet, Joe Henderson on tenor, and rhythm from Bob Cranshaw on bass and Roger Humphries on drums – all coming together with that wonderful 60s Silver groove. The set's filled with sweetly grooving originals by Horace – a blueprint for the exotic style of soul jazz he helped to forge at the time – great writing all around, on titles that include "Mo Joe", "Nutville", "Bonita", "The African Queen", and "Pretty Eyes". CD

A bit less well-known than some of the real Horace Silver classics on Blue Note – but an incredible record that shows the Silver Quintet at all its lyrical best! The record is a masterpiece of original voicings from Horace – not just in the unique tunes he penned for the set, but also in the strong direction he gives the group – a well-knit lineup that includes Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor, Gene Taylor on bass, and Roy Brooks on drums – all coming together with some of the most fluid, most intuitive energy of any combo of the time! The melodic themes are structured loosely, so that Mitchell, Cook, and Silver can extrapolate on beautifully-spun solos – and titles include "Sweet Sweetie Dee", "Nineteen Bars", "The Dragon Lady", "Silver's Serenade", and "Let's Get To The Nitty Gritty". CD

The cover's a bit misleading – in that Sonny Rollins and Horace Silver don't actually play together on the album – but the set does include some killer live material from both artists, recorded with key groups in their career! Rollins kicks off the set with stunning trio sounds from 1959 – very much in that open, stretched-out, always-creatively improvising mode of his Village Vanguard sessions – with backing from a young Henry Grimes on bass and Pete LaRoca on drums – serving up wonderful transformations of titles that include "Oleo", "I've Told Every Little Star", "I Remember You", and "Will You Still Be Mine". The Horace Silver material is great, too – from a time when the pianist was really finding his voice – and working with an excellent quintet that featured Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor, Gene Taylor on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums. The recording quality is excellent – these sides were done for Swiss Radio, like others in the series – and titles include "Shirl", "Ecaroh", "Cool Eyes", "Senor Blues", and "Nica's Dream". CD

The lyrical genius at his best – an early record from pianist Horace Silver, but one that already has him really defining that special sort of sound that made him really stand out from his contemporaries! The difference here is hard to put in words – but there's a careful ear for an unusual phrasing in a tune that Silver delivers throughout – not just on his own compositions and piano solos, but also in the way that he puts the whole group together – with stellar work from Donald Byrd on trumpet, Hank Mobley on tenor, Doug Watkins on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – all players who were about to become leaders and legends on their own, working here under fantastic guidance from Horace. Hayes is particularly great, and his warm drumming brings Silver's playing into a new range that still keeps a lot of his bop roots, but which also allows more room for the kind of flourishes that makes his recordings from this time so great. Titles include the classic "Senor Blues" – plus "Cool Eyes", "Shirl", "Camouflage", "For Heaven's Sake", "Virgo", and "Enchantment". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic set from Horace Silver – one in which his quintet is expanded by some great guest work from trombonist JJ Johnson! Johnson's at the height of his 60s powers here – blowing with that lean, soulful style that always made any record sparkle – and although he's only on half of the tracks on the date, his presence is more than worth the heavy billing he gets on the cover! Other great members of the group include Woody Shaw on trumpet, Joe Henderson on tenor, and rhythm from Bob Cranshaw on bass and Roger Humphries on drums – all coming together with that wonderful 60s Silver groove. The set's filled with sweetly grooving originals by Horace – a blueprint for the exotic style of soul jazz he helped to forge at the time – great writing all around, on titles that include "Mo Joe", "Nutville", "Bonita", "The African Queen", and "Pretty Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic set from Horace Silver – one in which his quintet is expanded by some great guest work from trombonist JJ Johnson! Johnson's at the height of his 60s powers here – blowing with that lean, soulful style that always made any record sparkle – and although he's only on half of the tracks on the date, his presence is more than worth the heavy billing he gets on the cover! Other great members of the group include Woody Shaw on trumpet, Joe Henderson on tenor, and rhythm from Bob Cranshaw on bass and Roger Humphries on drums – all coming together with that wonderful 60s Silver groove. The set's filled with sweetly grooving originals by Horace – a blueprint for the exotic style of soul jazz he helped to forge at the time – great writing all around, on titles that include "Mo Joe", "Nutville", "Bonita", "The African Queen", and "Pretty Eyes". CD

One of the most fantastic Horace Silver albums from the 50s – a set of complicated tunes that really lives up to its "further explorations" title! The session's a perfect example of the way that Silver was mixing hard bop sensibilities with more exotic styles of arranging in the late 50s – pushing past the straighter bop of his Jazz Messengers years, and moving into a territory that can only be described as "Silver-esque", and which went onto have a strong impact on many other players in years to come. And although not as well known as some of Silver's other classics from the time, the album's got some key tracks that show his talents at their best – like the genius "Moon Rays", or other originals that include "The Outlaw", "Melancholy Mood", "Pyramid", and "Safari". The group, which features Clifford Jordan on tenor and Art Farmer on trumpet, has an emotional maturity that you don't always get on Blue Note sessions from these days – and the album is a hauntingly lyrical batch of tracks that is among some of Silver's finest recorded work! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most fantastic Horace Silver albums from the 50s – a set of complicated tunes that really lives up to its "further explorations" title! The session's a perfect example of the way that Silver was mixing hard bop sensibilities with more exotic styles of arranging in the late 50s – pushing past the straighter bop of his Jazz Messengers years, and moving into a territory that can only be described as "Silver-esque", and which went onto have a strong impact on many other players in years to come. And although not as well known as some of Silver's other classics from the time, the album's got some key tracks that show his talents at their best – like the genius "Moon Rays", or other originals that include "The Outlaw", "Melancholy Mood", "Pyramid", and "Safari". The group, which features Clifford Jordan on tenor and Art Farmer on trumpet, has an emotional maturity that you don't always get on Blue Note sessions from these days – and the album is a hauntingly lyrical batch of tracks that is among some of Silver's finest recorded work! CD

A record with Horace Silver on the cover, but a set that's really more of a Jazz Messengers date overall – as it features a smoking quintet that not only includes Art Blakey on drums and Doug Watkins on bass – but which also has some great frontline work from Hank Mobley on tenor and Kenny Dorham on trumpet! The group's got the rougher, less-iconic feel of the Messengers at their start – similar to their early live dates – but all the right energy is firmly in place, and maybe given even more direction under Silver's leadership and great ear for a tune! The writing is superb, especially on classics like "Doodlin", "The Preacher", "Hippy", and the amazing "To Whom It May Concern" – one of our all-time favorite tunes in the 50s Blue Note catalog – and the solos are all top-shelf too. A real Blue Note classic! CD

A real watershed album from Horace Silver – a record that has him stepping strongly into the 70s – but with a rich new groove that's different both from his 60s work, and from the heavy politics of his United States series too! The album has Horace picking up a slightly electric sound, changing his groove from 60s soul jazz into more of a 70s modal approach – working here with David Friedman on vibes, Bob Cranshaw on electric bass, and Mickey Roker on drums, plus additional horn work by the Brecker Brothers – a really great combination of musicians that help Silver realize some really unique rhythms, and lots of moments that have a subtle yet righteous sense of soul! The selection of material is fantastic – hipper than usual for Horace – and titles include Weldon Irvine's "Liberated Brother", Moacir Santos' "Kathy", and Horace's own "Strange Vibes", which has some great vibes dancing around Horace's piano! A very nice album, and one of our favorites by Horace! CD

Rare work by Horace Silver – an excellent live set recorded at the height of his famous years at Blue Note! The set was recorded in Paris at the Olympia Theater – and it features a classic lineup with Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor, Gene Taylor on bass, and Roy Brooks on drums – all grooving with Horace in that perfect blend of soul jazz and exotic bop that characterized these fervent years. All tracks are very long – over 10 minutes each – and titles include "Sayonara Blues", "Tokyo Blues", "Doin The Thing", "Filthy McNasty", and "Where You At". CD

A hokey cover, a hokey title, but a surprisingly great little record – Horace Silver's first quintet session in many many years, and a record that comes across with a really lyrical sense of soul! And sure, the album's not one of his classics for Blue Note, but the format is quite the same – tenor, trumpet, piano, bass, and drums – all woven into a warm tapestry of groove, based around some wonderful original compositions from Horace himself! The whole thing is surprisingly wonderful – especially for the date and the cover – and we'll be honest in saying that we actually passed this one up when it came out back in the 90s (effete jazz snobs we are), but we're really digging it a lot these days, and are glad we finally gave it a chance. Players include Michael Brecker on tenor and Randy Brecker on trumpet – both following Horace's lead strongly – plus Ron Carter on bass and Louis Hayes on drums. Tracks include "Walk On", "Sunrise In Malibu", "You Gotta Shake That Thing", "Whenever Lester Plays The Blues", "Free At Last", and "Brother John & Brother Gene". CD

The quintessential sound of late 60s Horace Silver – on one hand still very much in the Blue Note soul jazz groove that earned him plenty of jukebox single play, but on the other hand really stretching out with a style that's a bit more righteous than before! Horace shows that he can still pen a hit when he wants – and gave the world the tune "Psychedelic Sally" with this set – but he also displays a penchant for more complicated rhythms and freer horn expressions on beautiful tunes like "Kindred Spirits", "Rain Dance", and "Jungle Juice". The group's filled with great players – from tenor work by Stanley Turrentine and Bennie Maupin, trumpet by Charles Tolliver, and drums by a young Billy Cobham! LP, Vinyl record album

The quintessential sound of late 60s Horace Silver – on one hand still very much in the Blue Note soul jazz groove that earned him plenty of jukebox single play, but on the other hand really stretching out with a style that's a bit more righteous than before! Horace shows that he can still pen a hit when he wants – and gave the world the tune "Psychedelic Sally" with this set – but he also displays a penchant for more complicated rhythms and freer horn expressions on beautiful tunes like "Kindred Spirits", "Rain Dance", and "Jungle Juice". The group's filled with great players – from tenor work by Stanley Turrentine and Bennie Maupin, trumpet by Charles Tolliver, and drums by a young Billy Cobham! CD

An incredible record – the kind of album that only Blue Note could put out, and an instant classic that will sound wonderful forever! The album's truly one of the great ones – one of those Blue Notes that still makes you stop and pause when you hear it, even though you've heard it a million times in Starbucks and places like that. Horace Silver is working here at the height of his powers – lyrical, free, yet also damn soulful, in a style that makes for some of the most evocative jazz-based grooves cut to wax at the time. Carmell Jones is in the group, and plays some of his best trumpet ever – and Joe Henderson really drives the whole session home with some incredible tenor work. Other group members include Teddy Smith on bass and Roger Humphries on drums – and titles include the instantly famous "Song For My Father", plus "Que Pasa", "The Kicker", and "Calcutta Cutie". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible record – the kind of album that only Blue Note could put out, and an instant classic that will sound wonderful forever! The album's truly one of the great ones – one of those Blue Notes that still makes you stop and pause when you hear it, even though you've heard it a million times in Starbucks and places like that. Horace Silver is working here at the height of his powers – lyrical, free, yet also damn soulful, in a style that makes for some of the most evocative jazz-based grooves cut to wax at the time. Carmell Jones is in the group, and plays some of his best trumpet ever – and Joe Henderson really drives the whole session home with some incredible tenor work. Other group members include Teddy Smith on bass and Roger Humphries on drums – and titles include the instantly famous "Song For My Father", plus "Que Pasa", "The Kicker", and "Calcutta Cutie". This great CD reissue also adds a whole bunch of extra cuts to the original album, including new material never heard before, and a trio version of "Que Pasa". 10 cuts in all! CD

A great Horace Silver album – and one of the rarest! The record features some top-line material that virtually defines Silver's post-Jazz Messengers sound – tracks that come out with a hard and heavy groove, yet which also have a lightness in the mix too – a sense of play and lyricism that's always made Silver's soul deeper than most of his contemporaries! The group on the set is top-shelf all the way through – with Art Farmer on trumpet and Hank Mobley on tenor – alongside a rhythm team that includes Teddy Kotick on bass and Louis Hayes on drums. Titles include "Metamorphosis", "Home Cookin", "No Smokin", and "Soulville". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few live recordings ever done by Horace Silver during his Blue Note years – a real surprise, considering what a crowd pleaser he was at the time! The set catches Horace working with that great quintet that graced most of his best early Blue Notes – with Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor, Gene Taylor on bass, and the always-amazing Roy Brooks on drums. The groove is tight tight tight, and the live set crackles with the same sort of energy as the live sessions by the Jazz Messengers on Blue Note – rolling soul jazz, but with a bit of a lyrical touch to flesh things out. Because of the live setting, tracks are a bit longer than the usual Silver session – which makes for freer soloing, and a bit of a rougher edge that keeps things lively throughout. Titles include "The Gringo", "Filthy McNasty", and "Doin' The Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing document of righteous soul jazz – the full recordings for Horace Silver's United States Of Mind trilogy – done in collaboration with singers Andy and Salome Bey! The sound is completely different from Silver's work of the 60s – very righteous and message-oriented, with lyrics that often express social and political issues of the time – but which are delivered by the singers in a hip style that takes them far beyond their era – so much so, in fact, that all three albums are really only being appreciated to their fullest years later! Most of the recordings feature smaller combo instrumentation from groups that have Silver playing mostly electric piano – alongside musicians that include Randy Brecker, George Coleman, Houston Person, Idris Muhammad, Harold Vick, and Cecil Bridgewater – and overall, the tunes almost feel more like work that would have been issued on the Strata East label, instead of the usual Blue Note grooves of the time. Wonderful to have back out again – especially in this complete version, which features 28 tracks on 2CDs! Titles include "Big Business", "The Happy Medium", "Won't You Open Up Your Senses", "Soul Searchin", "All", "From The Heart Through The Mind", "Total Response", "Cause & Effect", "Wipe Away The Evil", and "Peace". CD

The lyrical genius at his best – an early record from pianist Horace Silver, but one that already has him really defining that special sort of sound that made him really stand out from his contemporaries! The difference here is hard to put in words – but there's a careful ear for an unusual phrasing in a tune that Silver delivers throughout – not just on his own compositions and piano solos, but also in the way that he puts the whole group together – with stellar work from Donald Byrd on trumpet, Hank Mobley on tenor, Doug Watkins on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – all players who were about to become leaders and legends on their own, working here under fantastic guidance from Horace. Hayes is particularly great, and his warm drumming brings Silver's playing into a new range that still keeps a lot of his bop roots, but which also allows more room for the kind of flourishes that makes his recordings from this time so great. Titles include the classic "Senor Blues" – plus "Cool Eyes", "Shirl", "Camouflage", "For Heaven's Sake", "Virgo", and "Enchantment". CD features bonus tracks – "Tippin", and vocal and 45rpm versions of "Senor Blues". CD

A killer session from Horace's famous quintet that included Blue Mitchell, Junior Cook, Gene Taylor, and Louis Hayes – one of the group's earliest recordings for Blue Note – and also one of their best! The band had a unique mix of rootsy soul jazz playing and more exotic approaches to arranging, playing in a way that manages to bring jazz funk mind, even at this early of a point – along with more meditative compositions with incredible lyrical beauty. The album includes tracks that mix both of these styles – and titles include the title track, "Baghdad Blues", "Melancholy Mood", "Sister Sadie", "Break City", "St. Vitus Dance", and the lovely "Peace". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most fantastic Horace Silver albums from the 50s – a set of complicated tunes that really lives up to its "further explorations" title! The session's a perfect example of the way that Silver was mixing hard bop sensibilities with more exotic styles of arranging in the late 50s – pushing past the straighter bop of his Jazz Messengers years, and moving into a territory that can only be described as "Silver-esque", and which went onto have a strong impact on many other players in years to come. And although not as well known as some of Silver's other classics from the time, the album's got some key tracks that show his talents at their best – like the genius "Moon Rays", or other originals that include "The Outlaw", "Melancholy Mood", "Pyramid", and "Safari". The group, which features Clifford Jordan on tenor and Art Farmer on trumpet, has an emotional maturity that you don't always get on Blue Note sessions from these days – and the album is a hauntingly lyrical batch of tracks that is among some of Silver's finest recorded work! CD

A surprisingly great later album from Horace – with Steve Turre on trombone, Ronnie Cuber on baritone, Claudio Roditi on trumpet, and Michael Brecker on tenor. CD

A record with Horace Silver on the cover, but a set that's really more of a Jazz Messengers date overall – as it features a smoking quintet that not only includes Art Blakey on drums and Doug Watkins on bass – but which also has some great frontline work from Hank Mobley on tenor and Kenny Dorham on trumpet! The group's got the rougher, less-iconic feel of the Messengers at their start – similar to their early live dates – but all the right energy is firmly in place, and maybe given even more direction under Silver's leadership and great ear for a tune! The writing is superb, especially on classics like "Doodlin", "The Preacher", "Hippy", and the amazing "To Whom It May Concern" – one of our all-time favorite tunes in the 50s Blue Note catalog – and the solos are all top-shelf too. A real Blue Note classic! LP, Vinyl record album

One of those Blue Note double LP collections issued in the 70s with the nearly generic sleeve art. Loads of great tunes here, recorded in a number of different formats from trio to quintet. As you can imagine, the sidemen are numerous, and include Blue Mitchell, Carmell Jones, Joe Henderson, Art Farmer, Hank Mobley, Art Blakey, Woody Shaw and many more. 14 tracks in all, including "Cookin At The Continental", "Song For My Father", "Strollin", "The Cape Verdean Blues", "Home Cookin", "Nica's Dream", "Opus De Funk", "You Gotta Take A Little Love", "Silver's Serenade", "Serenade To A Soul Sister", "Psychedelic Sally", "Nutville", "The Jody Grind" and "Peace". LP, Vinyl record album

With Ryan Kisor on trumpet, Jimmy Greene on tenor and soprano sax, Horace Silver on paino, John Webber on bass, and Willie Jones III on drums. CD

With Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone, Roger Humphries on drums, Carmell Jones and Woody Shaw on trumpet, and Larry Ridley and Teddy Smith on bass. CD

A beautifully soulful set from Horace Silver – hardly the "with brass" session you might guess from the title, and instead a well-integrated album that really showcases a new level of arranging genius from Horace! The set is heavy on hip horns – with work from Oscar Brashear, Bobby Bryant, and Tom Harrell on trumpets – plus Frank Rosolinon on trombone, Jerome Richardson on alto and soprano sax, Buddy Collette on flute, and Bob Berg on tenor – but these instruments are often wrapped up in this warmly rolling groove driven by the bass of Ron Carter and drums of Al Foster – inherently funky, but much more complicated from a rhythmic perspective – and rolling out beautifully with a really imaginative vibe! Tunes are all originals by Silver – wonderful little numbers filled with passion and life – almost painting in sound, with really rich tones and colors throughout. Titles include "The Sophisticated Hippie", "Dameron's Dance", "Barbara", "Adjustment", "Mysticism", and "Kissin Cousins". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer early work from Horace Silver – and a rare non-Blue Note session from the 50s! The album's Horace's only date for Columbia, and it's got a feel that's similar to some of the Jazz Messengers' hardbop recordings for the label at the time – cooking with a soulful intensity at the bottom, yet taking off with some tremendously well-carved solos on the top! The group's an all-star ensemble that includes some of the best harbop players of the time – Hank Mobley on tenor sax, Donald Byrd and Joe Gordon on trumpet, Doug Watkins on bass, and Kenny Clarke and Art Taylor on drums – all grooving together with Horace as if they'd been backing him up for years. Titles include great originals "Silver's Beat", "Shoutin' Out", and "Hank's Tune – plus versions of "I'll Know" and "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible record – the kind of album that only Blue Note could put out, and an instant classic that will sound wonderful forever! The album's truly one of the great ones – one of those Blue Notes that still makes you stop and pause when you hear it, even though you've heard it a million times in Starbucks and places like that. Horace Silver is working here at the height of his powers – lyrical, free, yet also damn soulful, in a style that makes for some of the most evocative jazz-based grooves cut to wax at the time. Carmell Jones is in the group, and plays some of his best trumpet ever – and Joe Henderson really drives the whole session home with some incredible tenor work. Other group members include Teddy Smith on bass and Roger Humphries on drums – and titles include the instantly famous "Song For My Father", plus "Que Pasa", "The Kicker", and "Calcutta Cutie". This great CD reissue also adds a whole bunch of extra cuts to the original album, including new material never heard before, and a trio version of "Que Pasa". 10 cuts in all! CD

A seminal, yet unusual 50s Blue Note treasure! The album brings together a number of Horace Silver's great trio recordings from the early 50's, most of them with Art Blakey on drums, showing the fluid, rumbling genius that would later make him such a great leader. But the record also includes 2 tracks that don't even have Horace at all – and which feature duets between Art Blakey on drums and Sabu Martinez on conga, on the titles "Message From Kenya" and "Nothing But The Soul" – both tunes that have a highly percussive feel, and which were penned by Blakey. They're nice little percussion jams, and really take the material beyond typical 50s jazz and into beautiful beat-heavy territory – and they side nicely next to classic trio sides that include "Safari", "Ecaroh", and "Opus De Funk". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few live recordings ever done by Horace Silver during his Blue Note years – a real surprise, considering what a crowd pleaser he was at the time! The set catches Horace working with that great quintet that graced most of his best early Blue Notes – with Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor, Gene Taylor on bass, and the always-amazing Roy Brooks on drums. The groove is tight tight tight, and the live set crackles with the same sort of energy as the live sessions by the Jazz Messengers on Blue Note – rolling soul jazz, but with a bit of a lyrical touch to flesh things out. Because of the live setting, tracks are a bit longer than the usual Silver session – which makes for freer soloing, and a bit of a rougher edge that keeps things lively throughout. Titles include "The Gringo", "Filthy McNasty", and "Doin' The Thing". CD

One of the few live recordings ever done by Horace Silver during his Blue Note years – a real surprise, considering what a crowd pleaser he was at the time! The set catches Horace working with that great quintet that graced most of his best early Blue Notes – with Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor, Gene Taylor on bass, and the always-amazing Roy Brooks on drums. The groove is tight tight tight, and the live set crackles with the same sort of energy as the live sessions by the Jazz Messengers on Blue Note – rolling soul jazz, but with a bit of a lyrical touch to flesh things out. Because of the live setting, tracks are a bit longer than the usual Silver session – which makes for freer soloing, and a bit of a rougher edge that keeps things lively throughout. Titles include "The Gringo", "Filthy McNasty", and "Doin' The Thing". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "Cool Eyes" and "It Ain't S'posed To Be Like That". CD

The lyrical genius at his best – an early record from pianist Horace Silver, but one that already has him really defining that special sort of sound that made him really stand out from his contemporaries! The difference here is hard to put in words – but there's a careful ear for an unusual phrasing in a tune that Silver delivers throughout – not just on his own compositions and piano solos, but also in the way that he puts the whole group together – with stellar work from Donald Byrd on trumpet, Hank Mobley on tenor, Doug Watkins on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – all players who were about to become leaders and legends on their own, working here under fantastic guidance from Horace. Hayes is particularly great, and his warm drumming brings Silver's playing into a new range that still keeps a lot of his bop roots, but which also allows more room for the kind of flourishes that makes his recordings from this time so great. Titles include the classic "Senor Blues" – plus "Cool Eyes", "Shirl", "Camouflage", "For Heaven's Sake", "Virgo", and "Enchantment". Includes 3 bonus tracks. CD

Cool later work from Horace Silver – with some nicely complicated horn parts that remind us of his hip Blue Note projects of the 70s! Features a bit of vocals from Andy Bey – and horn solos from Red Holloway and Eddie Harris! CD

45 tracks over four CDs. CD

A Japanese-only collection of rare work by Horace Silver – some unreleased until this set. Titles include trio tracks "Buhaina", "Knowledge Box", "Thou Swell", and "Quicksilver" – plus a vocal take on "Senor Blues", a 45 take on "Senor Blues", and an alternate of the Hank Mobley number "Wham & They're Off". LP, Vinyl record album

The quintessential sound of late 60s Horace Silver – on one hand still very much in the Blue Note soul jazz groove that earned him plenty of jukebox single play, but on the other hand really stretching out with a style that's a bit more righteous than before! Horace shows that he can still pen a hit when he wants – and gave the world the tune "Psychedelic Sally" with this set – but he also displays a penchant for more complicated rhythms and freer horn expressions on beautiful tunes like "Kindred Spirits", "Rain Dance", and "Jungle Juice". The group's filled with great players – from tenor work by Stanley Turrentine and Bennie Maupin, trumpet by Charles Tolliver, and drums by a young Billy Cobham! CD

The music of Horace Silver is magically presented here by drummer Hideo Shiraki – grooving nicely in the same exotic approach to soul jazz you'd find on Silver's best Blue Note sides of the late 50s! Shiraki's always had a bit of a Jazz Messengers approach in his music – at least at this point in his career – so it's no surprise that he does such a great job with Silver's music – recreating some of the best grooves made famous by Horace at Blue Note, but also bringing a bit of his own flavor to the tunes too. One of the ways he does this is by expanding the sound slightly, as group's a sextet – with Hidehiko "Sleepy" Matsumoto on tenor and flute, Akira Fukuhara on trombone, and Hisaya Omata on trumpet – all providing a nice three-tiered frontline that then breaks out into solo formation. Pianist Joe Sera handles Horace's role on the tunes – and titles include "Senor Blues", "The Preacher", "Blowing The Blues Away", "Filthy McNasty", "Doing The Thng", and "Swinging The Samba". LP, Vinyl record album

Horace Silver in many flavors – a great range of jazz recordings from the Prestige/Fantasy catalog – all based around classic compositions by Silver! Horace was a Blue Note man, and never recorded for other labels back in the 60s – but his music had a huge reach for generations to come, as you'll hear on this great mix of cuts that includes soul jazz groovers, vocal numbers, and even the odd Brazilian bit too! Titles include "Ecaroh" by Wes Montgomery, "Filthy McNasty" and "The Preacher" by Eddie Jefferson, "Peace" by Tommy Flanagan, "Moon Rays" by Vince Guaraldi & Bola Sete, "Sister Sadie" by Ray Brown, "Song For My Father" by Richard Groove Holmes, "Strollin" by Jack McDuff, "The Preacher" by Shirley Scott, "Nica's Dream" by Blue Mitchell, and "Opus De Funk" by Art Pepper. CD

A modern classic from Dee Dee Bridgewater – one of her hippest albums of the later years, thanks to a great choice of material, and some really wonderful execution! The album's a beautiful set of straight jazz vocal readings of some of Horace Silver's best compositions, and it also features guest appearances by Silver and Jimmy Smith – both players who still had plenty going on at the time of the sessions. The real strength, though, is Dee Dee – as she proves once and for all that she's one of the best female true jazz singers of this era, capable of rich emotion on ballad tracks, and swinging free vocalese on more uptempo numbers. Titles include "Nica's Dream", "Pretty Eyes", "St. Vitus Dance", "Soulville", "Lonely Woman", and "Tokyo Blues". One of the greatest jazz vocal albums of the past 10 years! CD

A completely unique little session – and a record that's every bit as musically striking as you might guess from its title and cover! The date's a rare Latin-tinged one for trumpeter Kenny Dorham – a record that takes his usually smooth sound and sets it up against octet backings with horns from JJ Johnson on trombone, Cecil Payne on baritone sax, and Hank Mobley on tenor – plus piano from Horace Silver, bass from Oscar Pettiford, and drums from Art Blakey – plus added congas from Patato Valdes! The expanded group plays with a great sense of power – really pushing Kenny's sound tremendously – and although the album also features a few tracks by a smaller group with less percussion, these also have a bit of a Latin/exotic tinge too. Titles include "Basheer's Dream", "Lotus Flower", "KD's Motion", "Venita's Dance", "Minor's Holiday", "La Villa", and "Afrodisia". CD features 2 bonus tracks too – "Echo Of Spring (aka KD's Cab Ride)" and "Minor's Holiday (alt take)". CD

With vocals from Madeline Eastman – and tracks that include a great version of Horace Silver's "Barbara", plus "Can't Handle It", "Time For Love", "I Believe In Love", and "Hop Skip & A Jump". LP, Vinyl record album

Small group material recorded with Al Haig, Horace Silver, Roy Haynes, and others. CD

The debut album from Bruce Harris – a tight trumpeter that we'll certainly be hearing from in years to come, working here with an all-star group of musicians that really help the leader shine! The core group is a quartet – with Michael Weiss on piano, Clovis Nicolas on bass, and Pete Van Nostrand on drums – but other players step into the mix often, in a lineup that includes Grant Stewart and Jerry Weldon on tenor, Dmitry Baevsky on alto, and Frank Basile on baritone. Harris can have a bit more tradition in his tone than you'd expect for a younger player – although it also depends on the material, as the album features songs by Horace Silver, Bud Powell, Harld Arlen, and Prince – in addition to Bruce's own material. Titles include "The Step", "Mr Blakey", "Snowbound", "Ask Questions", "So Near So Far", "Una Noche Con Francis", and "Do U Lie". CD

A heck of a great little album from drummer Billy Higgins – one of his few standout efforts as a leader, after years and years of impeccable work as a player on some of our favorite records! The set's got a simple, almost innocuous approach – with Higgins leading a quartet that features Cedar Walton on piano, Walter Booker on bass, and Monty Waters on alto sax. But from the very first note, the album bristles with energy and excitement – in a mode that recalls the Clifford Jordan recordings that also featured Higgins from the mid 70s – sharing a similar sense of soulful and joyous expression. Waters is really great, with a really biting, honest tone – and singer Roberta Davis joins the group on an excellent reading of Waters' composition "Sugar & Spice". Other tracks include Walton's nice "Midnite Waltz", and great versions of Horace Silver's "Peace" and Sonny Rollins' "Sonnymoon For Two". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible album from Intuit – not only for the solid work by the group itself, but even more so for the wonderful range of guest stars that includes Doug Carn, Flora Purim, Airto, and Andy Bey! There's a cosmic vibe here that's really amazing – dipping back into the headiest days of 70s groove, and coming up with a sound that's steeped in tradition, yet brushed off with a fresh approach that's very much in keeping with the Compost Records sound. The album's one of the most organic and soulful we've ever heard from Compost – and Intuit really manage to get some incredible work out of their guest stars – especially Bey, who sounds better here than we've heard in years, with a tone and approach that rivals his 70s work with Horace Silver and Gary Bartz! The groove is a mix of soul jazz, Brazilian rhythms, and some sweet modern electric work – all percolating together with a sound that's so good, you'll wonder why nobody ever thought of it before! Titles include "Crianca Das Ondas", "Western Sunrise", "Fenytola", "A New Beginning", "Planet Birth", "O Preguicoso", "Wewa", and "Bubblin Jam". CD

A slightly different take on the Modern Jazz Quartet sound of the early years – as the album features Milt Jackson's vibes in the company of MJQ bandmates Percy Heath and Connie Kay, but also includes Horace Silver on piano – in the spot normally reserved for John Lewis! The presence of Silver on piano gives a bit of a harder edge to the set, one that almost recalls some of Jackson's work on Blue Note in the early 50s, yet which is rounded out here by a few lighter and more lyrical touches on rhythm. The set includes a great reading of "Moonray", the Jackson original "Stonewall", and the tracks "Wonder Why", "I Should Care", and "My Funny Valentine". CD

A great set that brings together early material that trombone giant JJ Johnson cut for Blue Note as a leader – sides that already mark his approach to the instrument as one of the most distinct of the time, and which pave the way for all the greatness that Johnson would bring to jazz in years to come! JJ's got a way of blowing his horn here that's almost trumpet-like at time – tight and focused, and perfect for the young bop generation – as he's paired on these cuts with players who include Hank Mobley and Jimmy Heath on tenor, Clifford Brown on trumpet, and either Wynton Kelly, John Lewis, or Horace Silver on piano, depending on the volume. There's plenty of other great surprises too – including a bit of bass from Charles Mingus, on a few cuts that also feature congas from Sabu Martinez – plus drums from Kenny Clarke on all tracks too. Titles on this first volume include include "Turnpike", "Sketch 1", "Capri", "Lover Man", "Get Happy", and "Coffee Pot". LP, Vinyl record album

A great set that brings together early material that trombone giant JJ Johnson cut for Blue Note as a leader – sides that already mark his approach to the instrument as one of the most distinct of the time, and which pave the way for all the greatness that Johnson would bring to jazz in years to come! JJ's got a way of blowing his horn here that's almost trumpet-like at time – tight and focused, and perfect for the young bop generation – as he's paired on these cuts with players who include Hank Mobley and Jimmy Heath on tenor, Clifford Brown on trumpet, and either Wynton Kelly, John Lewis, or Horace Silver on piano, depending on the volume. There's plenty of other great surprises too – including a bit of bass from Charles Mingus, on a few cuts that also feature congas from Sabu Martinez – plus drums from Kenny Clarke on all tracks too. Titles on this this second volume include "Daylie Double", "Groovin", "Viscosity", "Coffee Pot", "It's You Or No One", and "Jay". CD

Not a funky strut in the manner of David Matthews' 70s work for CTI/Kudu Records – but a set that has the pianist bringing a really old school, soul jazz approach to the session – almost trying to go for the 60s modes of players like Horace Silver or Bobby Timmons! As with other Manhattan Jazz Quintet albums, the set really sparkles from the talents of Lew Soloff on trumpet and George Young on tenor – a duo who know how to come together, then break apart with the kind of dynamic, soulful styles of an older Blue Note record – and the rest of the group features Eddie Gomez on bass and Peter Erskine on drums. Titles include "Hot Grits", "Sister Sadie", "Song For My Father", "Foxy Little Thing", and "Funky Strut". CD

The second volume of Howard McGhee material to be released as part of Blue Note's great 10" Connoisseur series – issued here along with an equally rare session by guitarist Tal Farlow, recorded around the same time in the 1950s! McGhee's talents on trumpet have always been touted highly – but most of his best work has been hard to find for years. That situation is corrected now, as this fantastic Blue Note session (featuring Horace Silver, Gigi Gryce, and Tal Farlow) is brought back to light again. The 7-track set is filled with the kind of edgey bop tracks that made McGhee's work so compelling in the early days – and titles include "Shabozz", "Tranquility", "Ittapnna", and "Jarm". Farlow returns on the CD's quartet session, which has a cool 2-guitar frontline, and a sound that's very different from Farlow's other work. Titles on that one include "Rock n Rye", "Splash", and "Tina". Both albums are great, and this 10" reissue series is one of our favorite in years! CD

Genius work from trumpeter Blue Mitchell – one of his most solid sides as a leader from the 60s, and a well-deserved treasure in the Blue Note catalog! The album's quite different than the straight soul jazz of Blue's early days on Riverside – or the more arranged dates of the late 60s – and it features him moving in a soulful, lyrical, modal style – quite similar to Horace Silver in conception, but with a fresh execution that's mighty nice – and which marks Mitchell as one of the fresher trumpet voices of his generation! The whole group's great, too – and the lineup includes Junior Cook on tenor, Blue's old band mate from Horace Silver's group – plus Harold Mabern on piano, who really helps shape the sound of the record, Gene Taylor on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. Tracks include gems from Mitchell, Jimmy Heath, and Tom McIntosh – titles that include "Bring It Home To Me", "Blues 3 For 1", "Port Rico Rock", and "Ginger Bread Boy". LP, Vinyl record album

The thing to do – is jam! Blue's sounding wonderful in this classic set for Blue Note – one of his best small group albums – recorded with a sound that's solidly in keeping with his lyrically melodic work in the Horace Silver group! The quintet features Chick Corea on piano – sounding incredibly subtle, and making us wish he'd recorded more sides like this – plus Junior Cook on tenor, nicely matching Blue as he did on so many albums from the time – and bass by Gene Taylor and drums by Al Foster. Titles include the hit soul jazzer "Fungii Mama", plus more introspective numbers like "Mona's Mood", "Chick's Tune", "Step Lightly", and "The Thing To Do". CD

One of Lee Morgan's beautiful early sets for Blue Note – and proof that he was emerging as a youthful lyricist even in his hardbop days! The group on the session is a sextet – with rock-solid Hank Mobley on tenor, Horace Silver on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, Charlie Persip on drums – plus the highly obscure Kenny Rodgers on alto – making his only Blue Note appearance ever! As on Morgan's third album for Blue Note, most of the tracks are composed by Benny Golson – perfectly penned numbers that maintain a hardbop swing, but which let Morgan explore things with a bit more depth than on some of his sessions for Savoy! Titles include "Slightly Hep", "D's Fink", "Whisper Not", and "Latin Hangover". CD

Great early work by Mark Murphy – a set that's different than the cool breeziness of his 70s work, and done with an approach that's a lot hipper than most of his 60s contemporaries! Ernie Wilkins handles the arrangements, and there's a rollicking soul jazz groove here that's a bit unusual for Murphy – but which makes for a nice change from his earlier work for Decca or Capitol. As with most of Mark's records, the tunes are very well-chosen, and go way past the obvious – a set list that includes Fran Landesman's great "Stoppin The Clock", Jon Hendricks' lyrics to Horace Silver's "Doodlin", Annie Ross' famous vocalese version of "Twisted", and hip takes on jazz standards "Green Dolphin Street", "Milestones", and "Out Of This World". LP, Vinyl record album

Bassist William Parker in two different settings, but both served up here with a very unified feel! The material was all recorded on a single day, with a core trio that features Parker on bass, Hamid Drake on drums, and Rob Brown on alto – a group whose energy you can really feel building up right from the core, especially in the interplay between Parker and Drake, a pair who only seem to get better together over the years! The first half features trumpeter Jalalu Kalvert Nelson – whose soaring sense of pride really adds a new dimension to the music – this righteous quality that opens up new channels of beauty when he steps in. The second half features pianist Cooper-Moore, instead of the trumpeter – and his tones are maybe more introspective, and produce a similar shift in the music, especially in the way Parker shapes his notes. This change really deepens our understanding of the trio on both sides – and shows just how adaptive they are to each other. Titles include "Horace Silver Part 2", "Things Falling Apart", "Give Me Back My Drum", "Rodney's Resurrection", "Urban Disruption", and "Orange Winter Flower". CD

A unique large group session from Art Pepper – one of his few this way as a leader, despite constant 50s presence as a sideman in big ensembles! Arrangements are by Marty Paich, who more than makes things swing – and there's a nice rhythm section dancing underneath a larger group – with Russ Freeman on piano, Joe Mondragon on bass and Mel Lewis on drums. Players in the fuller lineup include Jack Sheldon on trumpet, Herb Geller on alto, Bill Perkins on tenor, and Bob Enevoldsen on trombone and tenor – and titles are mostly modern numbers written by other jazzmen like Horace Silver, Denzil Best, Jimmy Giuffre, and Sonny Rollins. Titles include "Groovin High", "Move", "Four Brothers", "Anthropology", and "Airegin". LP, Vinyl record album

A unique large group session from Art Pepper – one of his few this way as a leader, despite constant 50s presence as a sideman in big ensembles! Arrangements are by Marty Paich, who more than makes things swing – and there's a nice rhythm section dancing underneath a larger group – with Russ Freeman on piano, Joe Mondragon on bass and Mel Lewis on drums. Players in the fuller lineup include Jack Sheldon on trumpet, Herb Geller on alto, Bill Perkins on tenor, and Bob Enevoldsen on trombone and tenor – and titles are mostly modern numbers written by other jazzmen like Horace Silver, Denzil Best, Jimmy Giuffre, and Sonny Rollins. Titles include "Groovin High", "Move", "Four Brothers", "Anthropology", and "Airegin". LP, Vinyl record album